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Homophones 01
Items such as pens and paper are often known as stationery. The word stationary (standing still) is pronounced the same way but spelled differently.

Homophones 01

"Right" and "write" have the same pronunciation but mean different things - these are known as homophones. There are more homophones in the English language than you can shake a stick at!

Homophones are two or more words which sound the same but have different meanings; they may or may not be spelled differently. A pair of "homonyms" are spelled and pronounced the same, but have different meanings. All homonyms are also homophones.

Here are some pairs with which you might be familiar: stair/stare; pear/pair; tale/tail; aisle/isle; flour/flower; mousse/moose; jeans/genes; toad/towed. Can you see the potential for humour? Lots of jokes are based on homophones and sometimes poetry draws on the associations a word has with its homophone. Christmas cracker jokes are famous for their homophones, such as this one: What does Santa say while gardening? Hoe, hoe, hoe..........

Try our first quiz on words that are often confused with each other.

1.
Which word means "from one end to the other"?
Though
Threw
Through
Throw
"Threw" is the past tense of "throw"
2.
Which word means "not to insist upon"?
Waive
Wave
Waver
Wavy
Be careful not to muddle up "wave" and "waive"
3.
Which word means "to avenge"?
Rake
Reek
Wreak
Wreck
"Reek" means a terrible smell
4.
Which word means "belonging to them"?
Theirs
Thereby
There's
Thereto
"There's" is a contraction for "there is"
5.
Which word asks for directions?
Ware
Wear
Were
Where
The word "ware" means an item for sale
6.
Which word means "the main one"?
Princedom
Principal
Principality
Principle
The word "principle" means a rule
7.
Which word means "chimney"?
Flew
Flu
Flue
Fluid
There are three homophones here: "flu", "flue" and "flew"
8.
Which word means "to remain still"?
Stationary
Stationed
Stationer
Stationery
The word "stationery" means pencils and paper, etc.
9.
Which word means "a courageous deed"?
Fate
Feat
Feet
Fete
"Feet", of course, can be found at the ends of legs....
10.
Which word means "complete"?
Complaisance
Complement
Compliance
Compliment
The word "compliment" means to give praise

 

Author:  Sue Daish

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